At the close of last week's report, we had just boarded the cruise ship Crown Princess in Skagway preparing to set sail to Glacier Bay, home to spectacular tidewater glaciers and a superabundance of wildlife.

If you don’t have a solid foundation for your portfolio, how can you build and construct a strong portfolio meant to endure the years leading you to and through retirement? Asset Allocation is that rudimentary groundwork upon which an investment portfolio is built.

My trip to Alaska has made me think of a colorful member by marriage of my family tree. Her maiden name was Gudrun Anderson, and her nicknames were two: “The Little Sweetheart of the Yukon” and “The Pet of the Northwest Mounted Police.”

Good Morning, U.S. Citizen Community and friends. During the summer, many of you may be taking a break from the heat of Saudi Arabia. If you're traveling, do you have adequate travel insurance for you and your family? Check your overseas medical insurance coverage.

One of the most popular cruises originating in American waters runs from Seattle north to Alaska along a route known as the Inside Passage. This next Saturday I will be setting off for Alaska along this route aboard the Crown Princess, one of the largest ships in the Princess Cruises fleet with room on board for over 3,000 guests.

We hope you’re all having a safe start to month of Ramadan! Here at the U.S. Consulate, we are keeping normal operating hours, however not all of our staff are. We will get to phone calls as soon as possible and your emailed inquires as per our normal same day or next day standard. Ramadan Mubarak!

In the 1970's, I (Annie Hebert) was playing in a tennis tournament in Beirut, Lebanon. My partner, Bobbi Madany, and I noticed a handsome African American man sitting in the lobby of the once beautiful Hotel Phoenicia Hotel.

The Chinese refer to their country as “the Middle Kingdom.” For thousands of years, they’ve viewed their land as the center of the world. With a population of well over one billion people, they have a valid argument.

Organizers of this year’s Aramcon annuitants gathering in Monterey, California in October have some exciting activities planned. One that’s certain to prove memorable is a tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium located on what was once known as Ocean View Avenue, but was renamed Cannery Row in recognition of Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck.

Extremely high or unusually hot temperatures can affect your health. On average, 675 deaths from extreme heat events occur each year in the United States. Most vulnerable are the elderly, those who work or exercise outdoors, infants and children, the homeless or poor, and people with a chronic medical condition.

After 5 years being in the US, I have finally decided to complete the book I have been working on since I left Arabia in 2010. It seems like so many memories are fading and so in an effort to capture those, plus the vast experiences that so many of us had, I am winding up the writing and getting ready to publish “Life in the Camel Lane: Life is Portable – Live It Everywhere You Go!”

As I have mentioned before in our town hall meetings, there are many hard working people here at the U.S. Embassy ready to help you with your needs and concerns. I hope your life has been made easier by our efforts to provide quality customer service and keep you informed about events in the country.

In a major move reflective of the wide-ranging Vision 2030 plan announced last month, on Saturday the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz named Saudi Aramco Chairman Khalid Al-Falih as Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.

As the Presidential primaries are wrapping up, make sure you are registered for absentee voting in the general election in November. Visit FVAP.gov for more information and feel free to reach out with all your voting questions!